How do I get Internet at both homes
 

We are planning to buy a home in TV in the very near future. I have been wondering if there is a way to have internet service that I could use at both my homes with out paying for two accounts year round? I know I'm a cheap ?#$^%@&. We plan to use antenna for local television but want internet access for streaming and web surfing etc. I have thought about getting a Cell phone service with more DATA or possibly one of those RV Winegard Satellite Antennas that I could take from house to house. We would probably be in TV most of the year but 2 -3 months in Texas. What are ya'lls thoughts any experience with this? I hate to pay for year round service on the house that sits empty for most of the year. Thanks

The satellite providers allow taking the "box" from one home to the other.
There will have to be dishes set up at each location. Then just unplug and take the box with you.

There is an effect on local channels that they can manage for you once at each location.

One account.....no fuss!!

As for internet....I can only speak to satellite......I do not know if cable companies have a similar arrangement.

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You can turn your cell phone into a mobile hotspot, but its usefulness to you would depend on how many GB you intende to use, compared to how many you are paying for.

Comcast has a move function that you can use online, if you take the equipment with you, then you have one account, now i have no idea if they have a limitation of the number of times you can move.

I think your best option is the satellite dish that can be moved from one location to another, like RV owners, but I don't know if you will save money. I don't think Comcast will allow you to use internet service at two locations for one price. If they ever get 5G service perfected, you may eventually be able to use a cell phone account for all internet services.

You don't have to pay for internet for two places at the same time. We are snowbirds, using comcast/xfinity while we are in The Villages and Spectrum while we are in Indiana. (Internet only, since we use youtube TV instead of cable TV.) Both Comcast and Spectrum have a seasonal program for Snowbirds, where we pay only for the months we are using their service, and about $5 per month while we are away. This way our total cost for internet and a very good TV package is only about $100 per month. What makes it even better, Xfinity has a cell phone service that costs much much less than Verizon, while using the Verizon network. Try it. You'll like it.

OTRMobile

FYI, the Xfinity seasonal hold service for "internet only" is $8 per month plus taxes and fees, which makes it closer to $10. If you have any Xfinity TV services, it would be much higher because you will need to pay the broadcast fee of $14.95 per month. Also, the minumum seasonal hold period is 90 days.

That sounds like a great option thanks

I took a look at the statements for the credit card where the charges go and it's been a flat $8 from Xfinity when we're in Indiana and $5 from Spectrum when we're in The Villages. Because of our schedule, the 90 day requirement for Xfinity hasn't been a problem. Spectrum's minimum has required a phone call or two to get them to drop the requirement, when we've returned to Indiana for the holidays and wanted to have internet while we were there. Considering alternatives, this has been the best program for us. We dropped our TV services in favor of youtube TV when our provider dropped the big ten network, which youtube carries.

I think the answer is no you can’t. I got a lower priced xfinity package down here because I have a full boat at home. I was thinking I could use “xfinity to go” app for the hbo’s, etc and use a iPhone to hdmi connector cable. It gets blocked, the modem Seems to know where you are. Don’t think switching to cellular worked either

I would avoid internet via satellite services. I would also avoid using the phone as a hotspot. Any TV streaming is going to use up data (yes, even "unlimited") rapidly. What happens with a lot of unlimited mobile plans is they will throttle (slow) your internet speed after you've hit a certain data limit per month. That will make for real problems when trying to stream big-screen TV, like Netflix, Amazon, etc., that use a lot of data.

We have comcast in TV and you can transfer it when you go north and use it up their til you transfer in back. We are also putting our house up for sale April 13. Expanded lily with 3+ car garage in Pinellas. Near everything.

If you have Comcast you can put it on Vacation hold while away at each location.

Dish with a box you transport is one option but any on demand services will likely require internet service. **Consider** adopting a streaming service as your cable TV service.
- we have "Youtube TV" which has unlimited (cloud) DVR storage, up to 6 accounts and up to 3 simultaneous streams. No box to carry and all your "stuff" is with you wherever you go.

When you head home after your stay here, call your internet provider and put your account into "seasonal suspend" ($8/mo.?).

I recommend spectrum. No monthly fee for modem. Buy your own WiFi router and have it installed (geek squad?) if you're not comfortable doing it yourself.

Those monthly cost add up if you're running two homes. ☹️

Slingbox 500 and Amazon Firestick. Set the Slingbox up at the residence where you have your cable account. The Firestick has a Slingplayer app that lets you watch that cable channel lineup wherever in the world you are. You will need Internet access in both places. I used this when we lived in another state and it worked fine.

Just moving your cable box will not work. On the data label you will see a field called "MAC address." This has to be added to the local network in order to get access. It doesn't happen automatically, you have to have an account locally.

go the seasonal service route

otherwise you're just adding more complexity to your life and carrying a lot of extra stuff back and forth

Try looking into Sling TV

Be careful with seasonal hold. If you have anything in your house that needs WiFi while you are gone, such as a thermostat or security system, you need to pay more than the $8 with Comcast to keep it on but at a lower speed.

I have a portable tailgater for sale , used with Dish TV if interested.

I added a data line with T-Mobile and use my tablet as a hot spot

Thanks for all the great input. It sounds like two accounts with vacate/ seasonal holds will be the best option.

I have an AT&T Nighthawk with an unlimited monthly plan that I use for multiple houses (internet, Netflix, Prime, Roku etc.) It doesn’t throttle an is a true unlimited plan. About $200 for the Nighthawk to purchase and $78.00/mo for the service. We use this in TV as well as NW Florida at a remote lake home with no issues while streaming or on the web. Also useful in the car when our Verizon cell service is bad (our phones will connect via AT&T/internet in the bad Verizon cell areas)

So $78.00/mo split between three homes and in the vehicle works out to a good deal for us. This assumes you can find someone offering the unlimited plan in your area. A small company in the Panama City area still does.

I think it's a better idea to pay for the two Internet accounts if you have security cameras, remote control thermostat, and a security system. When your 1,000 miles away from your other home, I think having some idea of what is going on at the other home gives you peace of mind.

If you maintain Internet services at two different homes, you should also invest in an automatic Internet detection power switch. If you have a problem with your DSL modem or cable modem, and other devices, the automatic power switch will automatically power cycle those devices to re-establish your connectivity. That way you can reduce the number of times you'll need to call someone to drive to your remote home and physically reset things. These remote power switches are available from the 5G Store on the Internet.

On the other hand, if you aren't concerned at all about what's happening at your remote home, then I think putting the account on hold is the best option.

The only thing I would add is:

1) Although the original poster was NOT using their provider for phone service, if you do move your box from one house to the other, be careful as the E911 will go to the wrong address.

2) Some people have home automation hubs that need to be reached remotely such as flood or freeze alarms, watchdog cameras, etc.

We have Verizon phones. They have a 'jet pack' that we use for our internet. We have a jet pack at each house. We use direct TV, and carry our boxes with us.

We looked into this. Two accounts with the seasonal hold thing only works if you have a relatively fixed schedule. For snowbirds who come to the Villages once a year for several months each winter it works great. For part time residents like us, who come to the Villages several times throughout the year, whenever we can get away from our responsibilities up north, it doesn’t work. You can’t simply turn your services on and off about 10 times per year for two or three weeks at a time. We have the full triple bundle with Comcast up north. When in the Villages we have xfinity mobile phone service with unlimited data. We can make our phones WIFI hotspots and use our tablets for basic computer stuff like checking e-mails, making t-times and dinner reservations, booking our Southwest boarding number, checking TOV, etc.. Our service is too slow for streaming. For television we put in an Antenna and get several free TV stations from Orlando and occasionally watch DVD’s. We have accumulated a library of about 100 movies on DVD for about 50 cents a piece at Estate sales. The only time I miss having cable television is when there is a Patriots game that is not on free TV, so I go to Gator Dockside in Spanish Springs and watch the game. We find there is so much fun stuff to do while we are at our Villages home, we never have enough time to do everything we want without wasting time on a computer or watching TV. Plus, we have learned that the occasional digital detox is a good and healthy thing.

If you use Comcast, all you have to do is go to this map, zoom in on the second address and see if there is a hotspot close enough for you to log on wirelessly.

Ohiobuckeye
 

Hum, I would call one of the cable Co. & have them install theirs. Unless your asking if Texas & Florida has the same cable co. as Texas. My guess would be that no cable co. is going to give you Free cable service for 2 different homes. We live in Texas too, & as far as I know the Dish cable service is the only one that I know that’s in both states. I can also tell you Dish cable co. won’t let you jump from one house to the other for free. I had an antenna when we live in TV for a yr. & we got 50 channels, but about 15 of them were Spanish speaking.

We just went on “Seasonal Hold” with Xfinity for Internet and cable and it costs $31/month. I have Direct TV at my lake house Up north and rotate on and off every 6 mo at no cost during the off months. Thinking of “cutting the cord” with AT&T Cable, Internet and phone at my primary residence which just upped my monthly charge by $30/month. Depending on how that (Air & Streaming) goes, that may become the model to replace Xfinity Cable TV in FL.

I live in 2 places, approx 6 months each...I haven AT&T Direct TV for TV and for Fiber Internet connection...I put the account in one place on “vacation” when I am gone, pay $5.00 month...

We vaca Comcast at house we are not at. It must be for 30 days, but we leave internet up for cameras. Vaca cost is $40 a month

The problems I had with seasonal hold for both Comcast and Century Link was that when you restarted your service all discounts were eliminated.
They began charging at full rate and claimed that a new 2 year contract was established.
Bye bye.
Spectrum has no contract and mediocre rates.

I have 3 homes and I use my iPhone as a hot spot for internet at all 3 homes. I do not pay for internet service as the hot spot is a feature of my iPhone and included in my monthly cell charge. Everyone has a personal hot spot in settings but few use it. I surf the internet, mail and do anything I want. So when I go to one of my homes the iPhone comes along right? So there.......just a suggestion. Works for me. (the only thing it won't do is use it for streaming your smart TV). I watch Netflix on my laptop just fine, You tube, etc. Of course you need an unlimited data plan.

Ohiobuckeye
 

There you go KPD3062, Buckeye Bandit has your solution! TV has Direct TV, your all set.

We have a hotspot through Verizon(our internet provider). $10/mo. and I can take it anywhere and have internet service.